Just the Beginning
by Bunny1
Summary: Something unexpected and random puts things into complete perspective for Cole.


Cole and Lucy walked across the quad, Cole's arm around her. It was a quiet night for once, and the summer evening air was humid and heavy. Cole had been thinking of a question all day, but every time he looked at her innocent face, he wasn't sure he could ask... He wondered how he got so lucky that she was kind of shacking up with him, when all he'd ever had in his_ life _were one-night-stands. But, Lucy was special... and she seemed to love him, too... reassuring himself with that, he took both of her hands into his.

"Luce, I-" he began, but, then someone came up to them, interrupting, holding up a gun.

The silent fear on Lucy's face was more than he could stand, and he yanked her quickly behind him.

"Your wallet, man." the guy said.

Cole carefully took it out and handed it over without a word.

"And, now you..." he said, looking over Cole's shoulder at Lucy with a slight leer.

"Yo, she didn't bring her purse, dude," Cole said, trying a bit more desperately to block her from him. "She hasn't got nothin' on her; my wallet had five hundred and sixty bucks. Just go."

"I think she's gonna come for a little walk with me, and then we'll just call it even..." the man suggested, and Lucy clutched tighter to Cole's shoulders.

"What? No... Look, you're gonna have to shoot me first." Cole said, glaring him down now.

The guy, who obviously had never _had_ to fire the gun before- Cole could see it flickering across his face- looked confused.

"What?"

"You don't have the stones to shoot me, man; it's not what you're up for. You're too stupid to even put on a _mask_!" Cole baited, hoping he'd just run off.

But, no such luck, as he then cocked the gun with only a slightly shaky hand.

"You wanna see if I will, man? Just keep pushin' me..."

Cole swallowed hard. "Well, the _only _way you're touching her is to kill me, and I don't think think you're up for that!" Cole reiterated.

But, then, he thought if his bluff went the other way, Lucy could get hurt... Quickly, he reached towards his pocket.

"Hey! Hands where I can see 'em!" The man yelled shakily.

"Easy, easy... just getting my car keys for ya." Cole said gently, and then _slowly_ pulled out the keys. "There's a red lambo in parking lot C. Just take it and get outta here, okay?"

The man looked at him incredulously, and then took the keys and raced away.

Cole closed his eyes, breathing a sigh of relief, but before he could even open them, Lucy half tackled him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Cole sighed, wrapping his tightly around her waist, his hands rubbing her back gently.

"Shhhh, shhhh..." he soothed.

"Cole... I..." she fumbled tearfully.

"I know you were scared, that's okay." he said gently, brushing her hair back from her face. "I'd never let anyone hurt you, okay? No matter what..."

"The police... we should call the police..."

Cole nodded, running a hand down his face. "Yeah, just hope they don't call my Granddad or my uncles..."

"From your mom's side? The ones that are bounty hunters?" Lucy asked, crinkling her brow a bit.

"Yeah... don't want them to know about this." Cole said a bit morosely, walking her back towards the dorms.

"Wait a minute..." Lucy said, stopping him. "Why? I don't understand... You were so brave..."

"Brave? No, I wasn't!" Cole burst out. "He didn't even _ask_ for the car, I just offered it! I just... I got scared suddenly that he wasn't bluffing, and if he shot me, he might not just run off freaked out, that you'd just be alone and venerable..." Cole admitted, his eyes watering a bit, blinking hard to try to stop it. "I just..." he sighed, looking away.

But, Lucy cupped his face in her hands, and pulled him into a passionate kiss, and then pulled back, looking at him. "Brave isn't just not being scared, Cole."

Cole nodded, sighing. "I know, I know. Okay, let's go..."

Suddenly, though, he paused, realizing what was in his pocket that he hadn't given the gunman, and a small smile came over his face. If now wasn't the time there never would be...

"Cole?" Lucy asked worriedly.

"I... I got a present for ya, babe," he said, reaching into his pocket. "Okay, more of a question..." he amended, and pulled out a box.

Lucy's eyes popped, and when Cole opened it, it was a huge diamond- actually shaped like a diamond- coming up from the ring three dimensionally, not flat. Rather like the rings Clark gave Lana in "Superman III". Lucy didn't know carats or anything, but it was four.

"Holy shit." she blurted.

"It... was my Grannie's." he said with a smile. "That's where I went this morning, to go ask her for it, cause..." he said, bending down on his knees, "I want you to be my wife."

"Oh, Cole..." Lucy breathed, sliding to her knees too, her arms twining around his neck and kissing him.

Cole pulled back with a grin. "So, that's a yes, huh?"

"Yes, yes, _definitely_ yes." Lucy smiled. "Even if you didn't have the ring, I'd've said yes." she said as he put it on her hand. "I actually... started having little fantasies here-and-there about it like a month and a half ago." she admitted.

Cole grinned, kissing her cheek. "Third time we humped I started that."

"Really?" Lucy asked, wide-eyed.

"Yeah, now let's go call the cops so we can start the bidness of showin' that you're all spoken for and what-not." he smirked, walking her into the building.

And, he couldn't resist, when he saw Drew and Denise, arguing like they did for foreplay, marching Lucy up and holding up her hand. "And, ta-dow!" he said.

"Holy cow..." Denise burst out, grabbing Lucy's hand.

"Yeah, I gotta make that phonecall, babe..." Cole said, leaving her with Denise.

Lucy nodded, and Denise looked at her.

"How far along are you?"

"I'm not!" Lucy huffed. "Or... at least I don't think so... I mean, it's not like two days late means anything." she shrugged.

Denise nodded. "Right... so, I suppose this means you're expecting me to throw some wild bachlorette party..." she said with a hefty sigh.

"Well, not if you don't-"

"No, no, I'll do it..." she said with the air of a maryter. "But if you think my maid of honor dress is gonna look like Glinda the Good Witch of the North, you've got another thing coming, missy."

Lucy grinned. "Right..."

And, she looked over at Cole, on the phone, and thought, _"And, this is just the beginning..." _


End file.
